Haircut Nightmare

I would try a kid cut place. They have special cars that the kids sit in while the stylist cuts their hair. They are completely distracted. Also, the stylists are used to cutting kids hair, so they are pretty quick.

Do you have any kids haircut places around you? We have one where the kids can sit in a jeep chair and watch cartoons on a TV that is right next to the station. The place is decorated all kid and really fun to go to.

My son hated haircuts at that age. We stopped taking him to the haircut place and started cutting his hair at home. My husband would do the cutting (with clippers, not scissors) and I would stand in front of my son and make faces so he would be distracted. Maybe you could try that, or turn something on TV that he likes so he's not focused on the haircut. Let him hold the clippers before you start and emphasize how they "tickle." Have your husband cut his own hair in front of your son. I know how you feel.

My son is also like this. He hates having anyone touch his head at all. He won't really even let me brush his hair (and no hats!), so we buzz it close (#2 or #3 clippers) so that we don't have to brush or comb it and so that we don't have to cut it very often. We stopped taking him somewhere to have it done and bought a pair of clippers to do it at home. I was so tired of paying $17 for a haircut at one of these places for him to scream through the whole thing and upset the whole place. He still ends up crying, but he just turned 3 and isn't nearly as bad about it as he used to be. I think the older he gets, it's easier to reason with him and explain that it doesn't hurt. My husband holds him and I use the clippers and we just inform the neighbors beforehand so that they don't call the cops! LOL!

I don't know what to tell you other than to say that he should eventually outgrow it. Maybe buy some clippers and do it yourself. That's all I could come up with! Good luck!

Every child goes through this.
I actually just let mine avoid haircuts for awhile.
He looked a little shaggy, but the trauma was just not worth it.
Got him back into the haircut thing by trimming it myself - "Mommy is just going to snip a couple of pieces at the back, okay?" Once he could sit for me, we tried the salon again. It went much better.
But it took some time.

Good Luck
God Bless

Lollipop? Portable DVD player & a movie?

Bring a laptop or portable DVD player and his favorite cartoon with you next time. Put it right in front on the little table and let him watch the whole time. Worked like a charm for my kids!

Is he sensitive to other things like nail cutting, face and hair washing, textures, experiences, ect. If yes, he may have sensory issues. If no, then he is just a kid who doesn't like his hair cut and having to hold him down only makes the experience harder. My son used to hate haircuts too. Not as extreme as your son but one time was particularly bad and she accidentatally took off a huge strip in the back and people asked if he had an operation! My son used to act like your boy when it came to toe nail clipping though!! This is what I did and now my son is the model of haircutting and recently toenail clipping. I repeatedly explained what was going to happen. I mean everything from the robe to where he would sit (on my lap still), to the buzzer, ext. Then we would talk about what was expected of him. Then we would do something fun before like go see her chickens out back but only for a minute. I would tell him that after we can see the chickens again if there is NO CRYING. Then every little positive thing he did he got a bunny gummy which are his favorite treats. Even if he cried, as long as he was not freaking out, he got a gummy. While on my lap I held him firmly because he finds that calming but not tightly. Hold him in a way that your son likes. I do want to mention that it wasn't until he was 2 1/2 that we could stay without fighting. At just turned two their understanding and cognition is more limited and you might use a distraction like a cell phone or dvd he really likes.

Cut it yourself. That way you can take breaks when he needs it. I have several dum dums sitting on the counter whenever we do haircuts and if he sits for 1-3 minutes he gets one, if it comes out and gets hair on it another can be earned. He needs an instant reward he can see and earn very quickly to get him to sit still.

My son used to be just like yours. I took him to a kids salon and that did the trick! It's called Cool Cuts 4 Kids. I don't know if you have one in your area. He sat in either a fire truck or car and watched any video that he wanted to. It was a little more expensive than the regular places but at the time it was so well worth it! Good Luck.

I would just let it go for awhile. It will start to bother him. If you can't wait, can you give him something to help him relax a little ie benedryl lol. Yes, I know that is horrible to say but it may work. Good luck and I hope you can find something that works!

THIS was my son. They DO grow out of it.

We tried everything. Going to the salon, not horrible but I felt for the stylist because he carried on and on and ON. Complete with a runny nose and tears.

I found that giving him a toy (often brand new in the box) would be a good distraction. After the haircut was over he could HAVE the toy. SO, the sooner you could get the haircutting done the sooner he could have the toy.

This didn't eliminate all the crying but it made him sit still longer and he kept his hands off his head. I think he thinks all his "cute boy powers" were stored in his hair and would grab his head trying to save his hair.

Now my husband uses the clippers to cut his hair. In fact he just cut his curls off on Sunday. He was such a sweaty head boy during our brief 90 degree days. MUUUUCH better.

My sister got the Flowbee vacuum haircutter back in the day - they revamped it - http://www.hairdirect.com/store/Aircut-Vacuum-Haircutter.....

Don't know if your son would like the hairdryer noise, but who knows? LOL :)

I went to a kids place for a while, and it worked ok, I took him with me when I got mine done and he sat on my lap so he wasn't scared. Let him experience the salon without the haircut for a few times - with you, dad, etc. Maybe that'll help. My son also likes to hold the comb, and he drinks from the water spray bottle - they get him a clean one. That keeps him happy for just long enough to get done.

Good luck!

How about a buzz cut? It can be done quickly and will last a long time =)

Umm yeah. We had one like that. Same age, same strength, same impossibilities.... just wait it out. Give it a few months and just let his hair go. Seriously. At the time, I just couldn't stand the idea of his hair being too long etc. Well, fast forward--- he'll be 13 next month and guess what? We STILL argue over his hair. He likes it longer (shaggy, not long as in a pony tail- think pre-haircut-Jason Bieber), his dad and I don't. Finally we decided (last year) that it just isn't worth the battle. 6 months later he asked me to get it buzz cut. !? Now he is back to liking it shaggy again. Says he'll cut it in August when school starts back (he'll be going into 8th grade).

So just let it go. Try again in 6 months. Find a new barber or stylist. Go in and talk with them beforehand. Maybe let your husband take your son along a few times when he is getting his own hair cut. Just to have him along - no haircut for your little guy.

Also, when you DO give it another try, be sure they really wrap his neck well with the tissue to help keep the hairs out of his clothing. My son STILL gets upset about how uncomfortable that is and takes EXTRA CLOTHES to change into in the car after a haircut!

my son who is almost 4 now still hates getting his hair cut. I just do it myself with those buzzer things. He used to kick, scream, bat it away, and cry. Now, he is getting better with it, but he still doesn't like it. He will sit still but keep asking me if I am done yet every minute. What worked for us, is I would give him one of those little dum dum loli pops. It kept him still and if he would fuss I would tell him "better eat your loli pop so you don't get hair on it" lol! Or he really likes dora and diego, so I would put one of those on and we would do his hair cut in front of the tv and he would just watch his show. It will get better! I have recently been telling him that I'm going to give him a hair cut soon. It think it's also good to give him notice so that he knows what's going to happen and it's not some big suprise. He has time to mentally prepare himself

The best you can do is to keep the situation as calm as possible and quiet. You can offer him a special surprise when he is done, if he sits good (kids that age will usually never sit still). I am a Cosmetologist who has done lots of kids cuts. Including my son and daughter. My Son is scared of the scissors, so we buzz him to get it done as fast as we can and he is fine. But if he sees the scissors he freaks, and he is 3.5 years old. My daughter is fine and can care less but does not sit still. So with her I just take all the time I need and make sure I cut carefully and accurately.

So far, we've had good luck with putting on his favorite cartoon and me using scissors to cut it. Yes, it's not as good as a stylist would do, but it looks passable, is less traumatic for him, and saves us $. I used tips for haircuts from The Tightwad Gazette, and watched a few youtube vids. I bought a decent pair of haircutting scissors from Sally Beauty Supply.

When needed (ie, he won't sit still for more than 2-3 min), I do a patch at a time, since my kiddo is 2.5 and won't tolerate more than a few snips at a time unless he's mesmerized by Busytown Mysteries (thank goodness for the Roku).

I have also been known to trim some of it at night, when he's asleep.

Do whatever you can to make it a positive experience, and end on a good note. Get a little bit of hair cut, and stop--stop before he has a meltdown or even starts down that road. That way, you are re-training to view it as a positive experience, and you can gradually increase the time you spend at one session.

I disagree that it's a necessity for him to go to a stylist. If the goal is shorter hair, then there are lots of ways to get that.

Can you try trimming it yourself when he's napping? Or maybe when watching a movie, get a few snips in here and there. In the bathtub is also a good spot to try to get a few snips. (Probably works better on non-straight hair, so you can't see if it's crooked!)

Have you tried a place specifically for kids? That and a giant chocolate bar or ice cream cone should do the trick. :)

I can tell you that I used to be a barber and did a lot of cuts on kids that did not like to receive them - first off the person giving the haircut has to have patience, but you do too - second, take things that he likes to play with or some kind of snack that he likes - have someone else come along that can distract him while he is getting a haircut - have your husband take him with him when he gets his hair cut, not to get his (baby) cut but to watch daddy do it and see that it is OK - and the person that you take him too has to be quick but precise - I can understand their not wanting to do it/finish it because it could become that he moves at the wrong time and he gets cut which will make him definitely not want to do it anymore. Do not call it hair cut either - call it a trim or something along those lines - kids will sometimes associate cut with a time that they have literally cut themselves and it scares them. I never say hair cut to my son or to the kids that I used to cut - I would always ask them if they were ready for their trim or that it was time to get more handsome, something like that. I hope that this helps you out!!